Opinion | 'The Green New Deal' hurts the environmental cause

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), shown speaking in June, argues the popular vote, not the electoral college, should decide the presidency.

Stefani Reynolds/CNP/Zuma Press/TNS

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s flagship legislative proposal “The Green New Deal” will never come to fruition. It serves as nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at repurposing the American economy to deliver a neo-Marxist wish list.

This is confirmed by a Washington Post interview with Ocasio-Cortez’s former chief-of-staff, Saikat Chakrabarti in which he stated, “The interesting thing about the Green New Deal is it wasn’t originally a climate thing at all … We really think of it as a ‘How do you change the entire economy’ thing.”

Yet, climate alarmists have not changed their tune, and they continue to support Ocasio-Cortez’s idea. Ocasio-Cortez and the far-left Democrats want to push a neo-Marxist way of life upon Americans and aim at doing so under the guise of climate alarmism. Otherwise, why bother framing this whole conversation around the environment?

The environmental movement needs to abandon the apocalyptic rhetoric, or it will only continue to draw ire from its opponents and alienate possible allies. The American people are not stupid. They remember all the doomsday predictions that are made year after year. Ocasio-Cortez’s claims that the world will end in 12 years is really awkward when the infrastructure overhaul she outlined would take 10 years to implement.

The American political left has embraced climate alarmism to a degree that is almost religious. This contemporary, post-modern movement uncannily mirrors medieval Catholicism. We are all sinners (contribute to pollution), but we can find salvation through penance (adopting the climate alarmist world view) and paying indulgence to absolve our misdeeds (promote the message of climate alarmism). This messaging might be cleverly constructed, but it’s morally repugnant and does nothing more than anger most voting Americans and hurt the cause they purport to be championing.

At the same time, the people pushing the narrative of climate alarmism do little beyond throwing money at the problem and sneer at middle America. Why should any Hollywood elite, political insider or social media influencer actually take public transit for a change, instead of flying private and using personal bussing to get from fundraiser to fundraiser or coast to coast?

Yet, we must scrap our cars, stop using plastic straws and amend our diets to fit their worldview. The Green New Deal echoes this mentality: our cultural betters will dictate how the world will be saved and we, their subordinates, will do all the heavy lifting.

We ought to take care of the environment, and we ought to cherish the planet. For the time being, it is the only one we have and it’s a pretty great place to live. However, the solution for climate change will not be found in the false salvation promised through the pseudo religion of climate alarmism. The more extreme the rhetoric becomes, the less likely people will be to buy into the message and support the cause.

TNR Newsletter

Have an opinion on a recent story or event around the University of Cincinnati? Let us know what you think!
If you're interested in submitting a Letter to the Editor, click the button below to email Noelle Zielinski, editor-in-chief.
For news tips or story ideas, contact one of our editors.